This blog is part of a comprehensive program to help those suffering with clinical depression, and their loved ones, deal more effectively with their condition. Here you will find educational articles on the subject along with encouragement.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Turmeric treats depression

Turmeric treats depression without side effects. Here is how to use it

What if a natural supplement was just as effective as prescription
drugs without the cost and dangerous side effects? A recent study found
that curcumin, the main polyphenol in turmeric, is as at least as
effective as fluoxetine (Prozac) in treating depression. So how could
turmeric actually treat depression? Curcumin possesses
anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, immuno-modulatory, anti-cancer, and
neuroprotective properties. Studies have shown that curcuminoids are
very effective in scavenging free radicals and neutralize them.

Turmeric acts as a reactive oxygen scavenger; it is able to inhibit the
body’s production of pro-inflammatory signaling compounds called eicosanoids. Curcuminoids
in turmeric have been found to nfluence more than 700 genes, and it can
inhibit both the activity and the synthesis of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2)
and 5-lipooxygenase (5-LOX), as well as other enzymes that have been
linked to inflammation. As we know, inflammation affects every
aspect of your health. Inflammation can play a role in depression — even
in the absence of a physical illness.

In the study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, the
researchers found that people with clinical depression had a 30 percent
increase in brain inflammation, also referred to as neuroinflammation.

A recent study, Efficacy and Safety of Curcumin in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Controlled Trial, was
done to compare the efficacy and safety of curcumin with fluoxetine in
patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). According to the
researchers, “This study provides first clinical evidence that curcumin
may be used as an effective and safe modality for treatment in patients
with MDD [major depressive disorder] without concurrent suicidal
ideation or other psychotic disorders.”

The study found that the effectiveness of
curcumin stems from the fact that it can inhibit monoamine oxidase, an
enzyme which is linked to depression if found in the brain in high
levels. Turmeric also raise the levels of serotonin and dopamine in
the brain, two neurotransmitters responsible for happiness, curbing
depression and overall emotional well-being.

Another study, published in the journal, “Brain
Research,” examined the effects of curcumin administration to laboratory
rats after exposure to a chronic stress protocol. The study found that
that curcumin supplementation had a beneficial effect on reducing
stress-related depressive symptoms.